“The best good man, with the worst natur'd muse.”

— James Boswell

Quoting John Wilmot, earl of Rochester's poem "To Lord Buckhurst", (18 August 1773)
The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D. (1785)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "The best good man, with the worst natur'd muse." by James Boswell?

James Boswell 23

Scottish lawyer, diarist and author 1740–1795

Related quotes

“For pointed satire I would Buckhurst choose,
The best good man with the worst-natured muse.”

John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647–1680) English poet, and peer of the realm

An allusion to Horace, Satire x. Book i. Compare: "Thou best-humour'd man with the worst-humour'd muse!", Oliver Goldsmith, Retaliation, Postscript.
Other

“The best-humour'd man, with the worst-humour'd Muse.”

Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774) Irish physician and writer

Postscript.
Retaliation (1774)

“Teach them humility, and to be good-natur'd”

John Locke book Some Thoughts Concerning Education

Sec. 145
Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693)
Context: Though the managing ourselves well in this part of our behavior has the name good-breeding, as if a peculiar effect of education; yet... young children should not be much perplexed about it... Teach them humility, and to be good-natur'd, if you can, and this sort of manners will not be wanting; civility being in truth nothing but a care not to shew any slighting or contempt of any one in conversation.